Angels Can Bleed
by Sarien
Summary: Makoto ventures to L1, her first time out of heaven. The mission given to her by Serenity was odd enough, to witness the birth of a boy. New feelings arise as she grows to care for her new charge, though he only sees her in dreams. Will their bond last?
1. Prologue: Meeting You

Yes, after several months, I am back. Blame my absence on the SATs/SATIIs/APs/CASHEE/Finals/School/ and a budding social life. This whole story has been revised and completed (sort of). The only change you should notice (if you have read this before) is the smaller amount of grammatical errors. They are still some left and it would warm my heart if somebody spotted them for me. As usual, I don't own any of the characters in this story and if I did own them…you don't want to know what naughty things I would do to Trowa. ^__~

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Angels Can Bleed

By Sarien (ChibiSarien@netscape.net)

Prologue: Meeting You

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A woman rushed around the center of the lively L1. Nobody in the busy streets actually saw her for was traveling by the oddest means, yet that only complimented her ethereal look. She had a billowing long mint green dress that moved on phantom winds. Her reddish-brown hair was up in a ponytail. And although she was rushing, her emerald green eyes remained serene.

The odd thing about the woman was that she had wings, impressive white angelic wings. She was an angel and wasn't an angel, it was complicated existence. The woman was an archangel, a higher angel and was never alive to begin with.

Why the higher power told her to witness the birth of a boy, she did not know. It puzzled her. Mortals puzzled her. She had spent her whole 'unlife' in heaven so this was her first experience on the mortal plains. 

The archangel wasn't born but was created by the higher powers created her to carry out their deeds. That is why most of the other angels that had been born at some point and time shunned her because she had never been alive to begin with but she had her own will and mind. They shunned her for being one of the creators' favorites.

This whole situation puzzled her. After a century (she had a poor concept of time) of unlife why the mission? The angel sighed.

"They told me to go to a hospital. What is a hospital?" she said out loud. It wasn't as if anybody would hear her. Only infants and those very close to death could see or hear her. Infants could, because they began as pure and innocent and weren't taught what was possible or impossible. Angels were supposed to be imaginary (the archangel snorted at that thought). Those near death could see angels because they were gaining the _other sight;_ the ability to see the impossible before they died. Mortals needed the other sight in order to have judgment passed upon them. 

'Mortals…I should feel pity on them, but they are like us in their own right,' she thought.

The angel launched herself into the air. It was unsettling to pass through mortals. In the sky she could see other lesser angels flying by. They ignored her and she ignored them like they always did.

"These mortals. Why do they need those vehicles to move? They should have wings. I must talk to the creators about that when I return…the creators only briefed me on the basics of the mortal realms. What the heck is a hospital?"

Then she heard a noise. It was a large crash. She looked down and saw that two of the vehicles had collided with each other. "Nooo…" she whispered. The archangel landed in front of the accident. She passed through the solid vehicle. In one car a man had his head against the steering wheel. He was unconscious.

The tenshi shivered. Her friend death was approaching. She wasn't bothered much by death; it was just another phase. Tenshi (A.N. :I'll call her for awhile since it means angel) went through the other vehicle. There were two people in this one. A woman, that looked much older then Tenshi's appearance of 17, and a small girl, about 6, were inside. 

The woman was bleeding to death from where a piece of glass had pierced her chest. However, the small girl was injured more. They both had the other sight, looking at her through glassy eyes. Tenshi turned around as she felt a soothing hand on her back. It was Death, also known as the 'grim reaper.' Death was a girl, about 15 years old in appearance and was one of the first goddesses created. Tenshi came a century after.

The small girl had short black hair, purple eyes and held a glaive. "Hotaru-chan, leave them be," Tenshi said. Hotaru was her nickname for the girl. "It's my job and you can't talk me out of it Makoto," she said using her given name. 

Makoto knew the angel of death was right. This was the cycle of life. She kissed each of the mortal's foreheads. "Good bye," she whispered. She turned and nodded at Hotaru who then entered the car to put the mortals in the "final sleep."

When Makoto exited the car she saw a large crowd gathered around the accident sight. It angered Makoto. Anger was to be her first new emotion on the mortal plains.

"You selfish people! You stand around here doing nothing while two people pass on and don't even lift a hand to help!" Makoto yelled.

Of course nobody but the other angels heard her and they looked at her with disgust. This was just the way humans were; they couldn't change. 

"Look, the ambulance is coming. They'll help. They'll take them to the hospital," one mortal bystander said.

"Help. They said they'd help. At least they are some people in this realm that are caring. She said they'd take them to the hospital…that's where I have to be now," she thought. 

Makoto waited for a few moments. Then there was a horrible siren in the air. A human vehicle ran her over…actually she passed right through it. The sensation was not a pleasant one.

'These humans…why do they have to have the vehicle screaming like a banshee. Don't they ever get tired of it? But Minako-chan practically lives down here. She is the love goddess after all. But I wonder how she can stand working for these humans? They are selfish…' 

The ambulance stopped in front of the accident site and loaded the living victim in a stretcher and the other two in body bags. Then they sped off in the direction of what Makoto hoped was the hospital. She spread her wings and glided over the ambulance.

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Makoto arrived at a large building only minutes later. It was in good condition compared to those around it. In the time of war, a building that was standing strong was a rarity.

The tenshi walked through the walls. 'Now where do children get born? I wish Ami were here. She is the muse of knowledge after all. I guess she does get busy. This is going to take awhile…lets get started.' 

Makoto flew in and out of rooms. She paused outside of one door where she heard wails. A tug at her heart told her it was this room. 'I wonder why I'm supposed to witness a birth,' she thought as she walked into the room filled with men and women dressed in all white.

One of them was handing a newborn baby to a woman lying in the hospital bed. She looked tired but smiled weakly at the baby. The man next to her put a comforting arm on the shoulder of the woman. 

"I missed it!" Makoto exclaimed.

"What should we name him, Ryo?" the woman in bed asked the man next to her. "Asuka I think we should name him…Shinosaki [1]." "That's a great name. He little one what do you think about that?" She asked as she rocked the child. 

The newborn cooed under her mother's tender embrace. "I'm sorry Miss but we need to take him away now. You need some rest," a nurse said. Asuka nodded in understanding but couldn't help the sad look on her face as the nurse gently picked up little Shinosaki and took him out of the room.

"Hey! What are you doing? Can't you see he wants to be with his mother?" the tenshi yelled. Makoto followed the nurse. Her protests went unnoticed.

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When the nurse left, Makoto heaved a sigh of relief. "That horrid woman is gone." The room was filled with many glass incubators with a tiny infant in each. She found among the many cases, her charge. Her hand reached through the glass.

"Hello my Chibi one. How are you?" Her hand actually touched the infant because he had the _other sight._

The child stopped its wailing and looked a little dumbstruck. "Don't be afraid Chibi Shinosaki. I'll protect you. I'll swear my unlife on it," she solemnly said.  

Makoto smiled at him, breaking the somber mood. "I'll volunteer for the position of your Guardian Angel." The child responded happily in baby. But, try as she might, the angel couldn't decipher the gibberish. 

"Makoto," somebody called. 

She turned and saw a deity, one of whom she recognized. "What is it Michiru-san?" she asked. The woman with the aquamarine hair smiled. "A creator wants you?" she said. 

"Which one?"

"Serenity-sama," she answered. Makoto was puzzled. "Why would she send you? You are the muse of music. Don't you have better things to do?"

"Well…I…um…I had a little fight with our friend the muse of adventure. You know, Haruka. I 'accidentally' inspired her latest charge to be a musician rather then a military general. So I guess I could need some time alone so I volunteered for the job," she said sheepishly. "You'll work it out. You two always do. But what were Serenity-sama's exact words?" Makoto asked to change the subject.

Michiru's expression softened. "She said that your mission is complete and to come back to her palace right away. She wants you to make preparations for some event she wants to host.' Good luck though. You know how long those events she hosts are," Michiru said with a grimace. Makoto sighed, "And I wanted to spend time with Chibi Shino." 

The muse of music looked lost at the mention of the name. "I'll tell you another time. Where are you off to now?"

 "I'm going to go visit Hermes and rub his nose in the new piece I created. It's called 'for the princess.' Well I have to go now Makoto. An opera singer has given up the will to sing. She's the last of a dying breed. Ja ne," Michiru said. She disappeared in a poof of aquamarine smoke and silver music notes. "Bye," Makoto replied belatedly. She then turned to her charge. 

 "Goodbye Chibi Shinosaki. I will try and visit but I think I will be too busy. Remember, my thoughts are with you." Makoto spread her wings and began her trip to Serenity's Crystal Palace. 

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A.N 1: I know that's not his real name but remember that Heero Yuy is his codename he took form a famous leader and I don't think they mentioned his real name-Shinosaki is the first name that came to mind mainly because he's really a character on SM.

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If you're a first time reader, I hope you enjoy this story. Reviews are appreciated.


	2. Chapter One: Comforting You

This chapter was revised as well. I am rather proud of it though. There weren't many grammatical errors that _I _could find. As usual, the usual disclaimer applies. I own some copies of Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon manga but sadly, not the legal rights to anything.

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Angels Can Bleed

By Sarien (ChibiSarien@netscape.net)

Chapter One: Comforting You

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~~~~+Dream+~~~~

The angel Makoto began to sing an ethereal lullaby. The dream wasn't hers. She was inside of Shinosaki's dream. His dreams were vivid for a two year old and were one of the many times that Makoto comforted him

Shinosaki was crawling atop a pile of toys, playing greedily with all of them and stuffing his face with sweets. He appeared to have been occupied…until the angel's song reached his ears. He timidly crawled to where he thought the source of the voice was. 

Chibi Shinosaki saw her reflection on a pond. He knew she could be a source of comfort. Her serene face and hypnotic voice were compelling. 

He traced her reflection back to the source. She was standing on a stone. Her auburn hair was loose from its previous ponytail and waved wildly in the wind. The angel was wearing a light green gown, which also swayed with the wind. Strangely he didn't feel any wind. Makoto's emerald eyes were like two sparkling gems. Of course little Shinosaki didn't think this in so many words. 'Pwetty,' he said, the first semblance of a more mature vocabulary.

The tenshi didn't appear to notice the toddler's presence until he tugged on her dress. She stopped singing and gave the toddler a smile. He giggled and raised his hands to be lifted up. Makoto complied and swung him about. Shinosaki laughed jubilantly.

After awhile he seemed to tire of the game and they both sat down on the pond, Chibi Shino on the angel's lap. 

"You know Chibi Shino, I didn't know at first why the creators wanted me here. I thought that they had grown tired of me. That was silly of me, wasn't it?" she asked the child who only burped in response. She continued on as if the toddler had replied. 

"I still don't know why, I guess. The one thing I do know is that you've filled my unlife with much joy. I'll always be there for you Shinosaki." He was silent as if he had understood her vow.

She continued her song until he seemed to relax.

~~~~+End of Dream+~~~~

That was the last such dream meeting that they had for some time. Her duty as an archangel monopolized most of her time. 

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It took forever for Makoto to 'get out of work.' The gala was a huge success, even though it took nearly a week in planning. Minako even lent her a special mirror to see Shinosaki through but Makoto rarely had the chance to take advantage of it.

Now she was supervising the lesser angels in clean up. But something had been bothering her; something felt out of place. The last time she saw Shinosaki through the mirror had been at the start of the gala. She must have been thinking awfully hard because when she looked up she saw the creator Serenity staring at her. 

"What happened Mako-chan? You looked like you were spacing out," she said, concerned. "Um, sorry Serenity I was just thinking. Will it be okay for me to take a trip down to earth?"

The creator studied Makoto for a moment; her crystal eyes glowed as she contemplated. 'Perhaps she can really look into the future,' Makoto wondered. "Um…I guess so. But while you are down there you have to run a few errands for me. I would have a lesser angel do it but you've only been down once and you need the experience. I'll have somebody contact you when your errand is done." 

"Arigatou Serenity-sama. I'll leave right away." Makoto took off.

"But Makoto. We're not done cleaning up!" Serenity called after her. Makoto pretended no to hear. "Ohhh, that girl!" Serenity said while shaking her head. 

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As she flew over colony L1, Makoto used the link that she had established a link with Shinosaki. It wasn't very strong but she used it to find him though finding him was difficult through all of the dense black smoke. "Smoke! What's going on?" She spiraled down and surveyed the damage to the already damaged colony.

Giant metal creatures, called Mobile Suits, were everywhere. She looked at the carnage below her. 'Hotaru must be having a field day,' the calmer part of her thought while the other part was still frozen.

Makoto landed at the giant charred spot that was the former home of Shinosaki. A strange sensation passed through her. She looked around and saw that a newspaper had glided through her body. Bending over and looking at the date, she gasped. 

_L1, year 185_

Her knees buckled as she fought for air. How could five years have passed since she witnessed his birth? How? Shinosaki could be dead for all she knew. 'No, he's not dead and you know it,' the sane part of her thought. 'Time passes differently between the heavens and Earth.'

A faint sobbing sound could be heard.

"Is that a child? It could be Shinosaki!" she exclaimed and glided to where the source of the voice was.

A little boy was huddled in a corner. His hair was disheveled, pajamas torn, and the teddy bear he held was half charred. The only things that the angel recognized were his eyes; a deep Prussian blue. She closed her eyes and refused to believe that this broken child was her energetic charge. 

She hugged him…or at least tried to. Her open hands passed right through the little boy. He didn't even appear to have noticed her. The only recognition she got from his was a release of anxiety. Her presence was some comfort to him, despite the fact he couldn't notice her.

She held on to that shred of their former relationship and struggled not to cry.

"He…he doesn't see me anymore. He's one of _them _now!" she cried. 

Makoto might have been innocent but she wasn't _that _naive. The boy had lost _his _innocence. All this destruction had forced such childish beliefs of angels and mystical creatures out of his head. The thing that hurt the most to Mako was that fact. Her ire grew towards whoever started this war, uncharacteristic of a normal angel…yet her whole existence wasn't normal.

Something moved in the rubble behind them. Shinosaki didn't even turn. His eyes were desolate and strangely out of place from his eight year old face. She yearned to comfort him further but there was the matter of the intruder to attend to.

A man stepped from behind the charred remnants of their front yard tree. The tire from the swing was burnt and filled the air with an acid-like scent. 

The man was middle aged, at least 40 or so. His hair was already going gray at the edges. The wrinkles around his mouth said he frowned a lot or was under a lot of stress. He was dressed in a trench coat, sunglasses and a scarf. It was cold out but the angel suspected that he used the scarf to hide scars.

This man rose Makoto's hackles. Oh, how she loathed him already. But this raised the question, who the hell was this man and what was he doing approaching her charge. 'Something no good,' Makoto thought and fiercely wished she could protect Shinosaki physically.

The man knelt by Shinosaki and laid a falsely comforting arm on the boy's shoulder. "Are you all right?" the man asked. Chibi Shinosaki glanced at the man coldly and didn't say anything. The fact that there were no tears on the boy's face seemed to delight him. 

Makoto felt another presence at her side, not human. She turned and saw Hotaru. "He reeks of death," her friend whispered. Makoto's eyes widened. Now that her assumptions were confirmed, she did not want this man here…but there wasn't a thing she could do.

"Do you know who he is?"

"He's an assassin. Odin Lowe is the name most of his victims scream out, begging for mercy."

Hotaru squeezed Makoto's hand reassuringly. "It's going to be alright. He will not kill the boy," she said and disappeared as abruptly as she came.

The fact that the man wouldn't kill her charge eased some of her anger but she wasn't one to be placated that easily.

"Do you want to come home with me kid? I've got lots of toys you can play with and I can teach you how to fight, so you can be big and strong and destroy the bad men who did this to your family," he said softly. Shinosaki's eyes brightened a little. Apparently he was mature enough at his age to know what revenge meant. 

Makoto clenched her teeth. 'How dare this Odin Lowe use the tragedy as some sort of recruiting service! My Shinosaki would never join him!' she said.

Her heart fell as the little boy took the man's hand and followed him away. "Shinosaki," she whispered, crestfallen. The angel dared not follow them. Her cries would go unheard, leading to more heartache, if you even believed angels had hearts. 'I may not be able to touch you or to comfort you like other humans can, but we have dreams…we have our dreams.'

It wasn't much but it was all they had…

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If you're a first time reader, I hope you enjoy this story. Reviews are appreciated, especially ones with more then one sentence. ^__^


	3. Chapter Two: Loosing You

Another revised chapter…it should be the last one unless I decide to revise the last one. I hope you like it. Another pinch of angst was added. Disclaimer

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Angels Can Bleed

By Sarien (ChibiSarien@netscape.net)

Chapter Two: Loosing You

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The eight-year-old boy looked at the table in front of him. On it was a set of weapons. He shivered with excitement and fear. The time had come.

A cold hand prodded him forward. The hand belonged to none other then Odin Lowe, his harsh master and trainer. 

"Come on boy, pick one. We haven't got all day. There's just about enough time left to start armed weapons training," Odin's raspy voice startled the boy in question. He struggled not to let his fear show. Odin tended to give him extra exercises when that happened and Shinosaki barely made it through the day as things stood.

He continued to look at the weapon, unaware of the angel that watched, frozen.

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The only things on Makoto's mind were the gun and Shinosaki. With her small knowledge of the darker aspects of human kind, the only thing she knew of guns were that they caused death and pain. Her Shino could turn into a murderer!

"No," she whispered fiercely. "No!"

Makoto reached out to stop her charge but her hands passed right through his. He picked up the gun slowly, still unaware of the strong emotions flowing through the angel. 

The assassin patted his protégé on the back.

Makoto collapsed onto the floor. Emerald tears streamed down her face. "No," she whispered again. But even if he had heard, it would have been to late. Her Shinosaki was one step closer to becoming a killer…

....Days later.....

Shinosaki wiped sweat off of his forehead. He only had two minutes to get in and out of the building, after destroying his target of course. His target was none other then Domni Marson, a prominent Oz leader who was to be eliminated. Only then would Shino get to collect his reward, a rest day.

He rounded the corner, his heart pounding in his throat. This was his first mission. At only eight he was going to become a killer.

The boy avoided all of the security devices and made his way into the central office. This was an easy mission seeing as there were few guards and they were slacking off. That being done, he opened the door to the office. A man was sitting in a big executive seat…as expected. What wasn't expected was the large dog that announced the boy's presence.

The Oz officer spun around and quickly reached for his gun. Shinosaki hated to do it but Odin would punish him if he didn't…he shot the dog and avoided its death throes. Ignoring the man's gun, the eight year old brought out his own custom gun and "eliminated his victim."

His mission done, Shino turned to the door…only to find several armed men waiting for him, their guns drawn. 

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The game was over. Shinosaki pulled off the virtual reality helmet and sighed in relief. If that had been real, he would have been caught and even if it was a purposeful kamikaze mission, he'd be dead.

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Makoto looked as the boy got reprimanded from his teacher. Her emerald eyes were impassive and unreadable. 

"Why do you continue to watch, even though it's eating at you inside?" a woman asked. It was Setsuna, guardian of time, and one of her oldest friends. She tended to appear when Makoto was in emotional distress. Setsuna could have used her powers to help the situation but didn't because she was sworn not to. Makoto understood but still couldn't help but resent the guardian a little bit for that.

She looked at the scene and willed herself not to cry.

"I can't stop. Shinosaki needs me for this. Since you won't help me, I'm trying to get myself used to this because he's going to need me by his side when he has to go through it in real life."

Setsuna looked saddened. 'This is a truly tragic thing…I'm not even allowed to interfere,' she thought to herself. In a swirl of purple smoke, she disappeared.

'I only wish it was as easy as I said. But for Shinosaki's sake…I must stand by him…'

....Several Days Later....

~~~~+Dream+~~~~

"What's wrong Shino? You seem sad," said Makoto gently. Three years had passed since he was taken away from her and only a scant number of days since Setsuna had met her in the training room.

Her charge, looked at her in pity. There were some things that his 'imaginary friend' just wouldn't understand. At his tender age, he'd already seen lots of death and was working on his skills to become an assassin. Of course he hadn't actually killed anybody yet, Lowe-san was supposed to get to that next week; his first real mission.     

He smiled, revealing two missing teeth. "Nothing, Mako," he said innocently…almost too innocently. The angel knew him well and he was hiding something. Well, she'd just have to find out after the dream.

He knew she was an angel in his dream but was unable to think of her as existing outside the dream. That still gnawed at her heart.

"If you don't want to tell me Shino, it's fine. I just wish you'd trust be more," she said quietly and stared at his reflection in the pond. "No, no! I do trust you Mako," he looked down at his hands, "you're the only friend I have."

The angel smiled and hugged him. Rather then press him further she changed the subject. "So, I hear you've been studying some history. Can you teach me some of what you learned? I'm afraid that it hasn't been a part of my education." Shinosaki's eyes brightened at this. It was nice to reverse the roles. 

"Of course but only if you sing for me later."

"You know I can't say no to that face. I think Lowe-san has been teaching you to use your charm to persuade people into giving you what you want…fine but please turn those puppy eyes away."

Shinosaki smiled and launched into the history of Mobile Suits, which he knew surprisingly a lot of for a boy of eight.

~~~~+End of Dream+~~~~

"Makoto-chan," a voice repeated for the fifth time. Makoto's mind was obviously elsewhere. Finally, the owner of the voice had enough and shook her slightly. The angel looked up and found herself glancing into the violet eyes of Rei, the fire sprite (who was incidentally bored with the lack of fires).

"I'm sorry Rei. I know I've been a bit preoccupied lately. Serenity-sama has kept me busy with all this paperwork and I haven't been able to visit Shinosaki. I'm not sure if I have the heart to anymore…you know…he's killed his first man. Sure, the man deserved it…who am I to judge this? What are these knew emotions?" 

"Nothing good can come of associating with humans, especially men," she said vehemently.

"What do you mean men? Shinosaki is only eight!" the angel protested. Rei gave her a mysterious, knowing smile. "They grow up fast," was all she said. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Nothing…don't you think it's time you paid him a visit? Odin has been on vacation for an awful long time." 

Rei vanished in a burst of flame, the third person to leave her like that in a week. She really wished that the other deities would stop acting so secretive when it came to her charge.

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"No, it can't be!" the eight year old protested. But you can't lie with the facts, especially since all the major colony news stations were talking about it.

Odin Lowe was dead. He had left Shinosaki alone and went on a mission that was supposed to pay a pretty penny. It was a straightforward job. The political leader, Heero Yuy, was supposed to be at a peace meeting. The security was basic. Odin was to be in and out before any of the authorities arrived. But he was caught in a stand off with the other guards. He was shot several times. Even Odin didn't deserve that kind of death. 

Shinosaki ignored those new emotions. Odin was the only father figure he had and he wouldn't shame the man by crying.

"No!" he yelled as realization struck him. The earth federation would be coming to investigate and that left him with relatively no time. 

The child was right. Several armed men burst through the door. Shinosaki felt the bitter prick of the tranquilizer only seconds later. "I'll always be here," a whispered memory played in his mind before he completely blacked out. 

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He fluttered his Prussian eyes open and found himself staring into the withered face of an old man. 

"Good, you're awake," he said, voice accented slightly.

As the man backed up, Shino realized two things. The first was that the old man was in a lab coat and the last was that he was in a laboratory. The steady beep of the heart monitors verified that. 

"Wh-who are you?"

"You may call me Dr. J. Now then, shall we begin your training?"

"What? What training?"

The doctor smirked. It was ironic that the 'weapon' of the man that murdered Heero Yuy would be used to avenge his death. And with the new mobile suits being developed, all would be resolved.

An image appeared on one of the screens. It replayed the death of the great political leader, Heero Yuy. "This man died in vain. I am in charge of training you to become the ultimate soldier. Now then, first order of business, you need a new name to complete your new life." 

Shinosaki was speechless. His name was the only thing that he retained from his former life.

"Well?" the man prompted. Shino's eyes looked at the clip of one of Heero Yuy's great speeches that played on the screens. He was almost nine and any name would do. In time he would forget he was ever named Shinosaki and with the memory erase the doctor planned to initiate on the boy…

"Yuy, Heero Yuy," the boy said. Dr. J smirked. Things were going as planned. "Good…good…" he answered absently. 

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Makoto jerked her emerald eyes open. "What is it?" Ami, the muse of knowledge, whispered in her ear. They were at one of Michiru and Haruka's recitals. It was a very happy event in the crystal palace. But something was very, very wrong with Makoto. 

"It's gone!" she yelled. Everybody's attention was now on her, disgust written all over their faces for the angel who became attached to a human. But that didn't matter to the archangel for her link to her charge was gone. She used to be able to feel where he was at least. Now she didn't even get that. It was as if…

Hotaru shot Makoto a look that put her worst fear to rest. Shino was still alive but the question was, where…

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If you're a first time reader, I hope you enjoy this story. Reviews are appreciated and ones that tell me what I'm doing wrong (not should be doing) warm my heart.


	4. Chapter Three: All for You

disclaimer

This is the last chapter of the story! Can you believe I actually updated? I recommend you reread the story since it's been awhile since I've updated and it was revised (no plot changed, just grammar). This chapter will be moving fast, for all that it's long. The scene changes are indicated by '.=.' as well as character (which would be in parentheses), narrative point of view, and occasionally, I do it for mood. Yes, I'm a lazy author and shouldn't be using those short cuts. They've been used in other chapters as well but there were only two point of views. This one has several.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy it since it's taken me months to write. I wrote a different ending (which is so embarrassing that it won't see the internet) originally but changed it because it was too sappy. This one should be better. The ending is sad but if you want an epilogue to make it all better, tell me in your review. I'd rather not since I was aiming for angst…maybe I could release it as an alternate ending?

Warning: Major ANGST and slight FLUFF!

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Angels Can Bleed

By Sarien (ChibiSarien@netscape.net)

Chapter Three: All For You

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Heero glared at the man in the priest's outfit next to him. "Don't…steal…my…parts," Heero said coldly and enforced his words with a look that promised death by strangulation. "Whoa He-man, I was just borrowing them," the boy named Duo said. 

It was a miracle that Heero didn't shoot him down then and there or at the least, said his famous lines, "omae o korosu." But nothing came out of his mouth. The seventeen year old had too many things on his mind like their latest mission ('their being his other comrades'). 

Heero and Duo, along with Trowa, Quatra and Wufei were Gundam pilots and were the ultimate soldiers. The scientists, Dr. J and other "doctors" who used letters as their code names, gave them their missions. The young Gundam pilots led "normal" lives, attended the school of a certain Relena Dorlan, lived in a mansion owned by Quatra Winner and hid their identities. But when a new military organization arose using old political martyrs (the latest claimed Heero Yuy was still alive) to take over the earth and colonies, the G-boys were called out to deal with it.

Heero never said no to a mission yet and didn't intend to. This new mission was too suspicious. All they had to do was infiltrate a small military outpost from the Oz organization and get the hell out of there. The blue prints of the base they had received had no major defenses. Something was amiss…

"Heero, that baka hime Relena is here. She says she has something important to tell you," the Chinese pilot, Wufei, said. Heero groaned inwardly. 'The day can't get any worse,' he thought grimly as he walked out of the secret room where the Gundams were kept to the large living room.

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Relena saw him from a distance. Her large blue eyes lit up and she launched herself at him, sending him crashing into a marble pillar. He and the pillar crashed on to the floor. And the scene wouldn't be complete unless the priceless vase on top the pillar ended up falling atop his head…which it did.

"Heero? Heero!" Quatra yelled and instantly went to his side. Relena was sobbing uncontrollably near the unconscious perfect soldier. Trowa disappeared into the secret underground base to retrieve the first aid kit, which had seen lots of use with the inevitable injuries that came with their double lives.

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=(Makoto).=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.

"Mako-chan, are you ready?" Michiru asked. "Huh? Oh yeah. I don't think I can perform today. I know I've been making to many excuses in the past year but ever since Shinosaki," her voice wavered as she fought back tears, "ever since he disappeared, I haven't had the heart to do anything. I know he's not dead but for all I know he can be half-dead somewhere and all alone! How can I play 'for the princess' like this? Please Michiru-san, I will get over him eventually."

The muse of music couldn't meet the eyes of the angel standing before her. 

"I know where he is," a familiar voice said.

Michiru and Makoto turned to see a black-cloaked Hotaru standing there. 

"Please tell me!" Makoto pleaded. "I didn't tell you before because I was under a geas from the Serenity-sama to keep this secret. Only recently did I receive permission to tell you. You weren't able to find him because his memories were erased and he was given a new name, Heero Yuy. Now he is Heero in the deepest sense. There is no more Shinosaki. I don't advise that you visit him. He is a completely different person…he won't even remember you. Don't do this Mako-chan," Hotaru advised.

"Where can I find him," Makoto asked once again. Hotaru appeared to be looking with some other sense. "In the dreamscape. He is unconscious right now." "Then that's where I will go. Arigatou…goodbye."

Makoto disappeared in a blaze of green light. 

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She reappeared in a completely different plane of existence. There were no laws in the dream world. The floating angel proved that. 

'Shinosaki…no, I must call you Heero now…my sweet Heero.'

Makoto sighed as the scene shifted. No longer was she floating under clear skies. Now she walked in a moonlit forest. The sound of far off gunshots, missiles being fired, and the screams of those who were the target filled the air. 

She ignored these sounds. After all, it was only a dream. But the thought that this was what her friend dreamed of disturbed her. 'He's not your little Shinosaki anymore. He is a hardened soldier…he has killed. This will be like meeting a stranger. Maybe some shard of my former Chibi Shino remains.'

The angel froze in her tracks. In front of her was the same lake where she had met him for the first time. The same rocky outcropping in which they had sat previously was also there. He was sitting there, absently stroking the gun he held as he looked at the moon. 

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He knew she was there without even turning around. The girl's reflection in the lake was vague but it was distinctly feminine. Her presence was the comforting part of his dream and distracted him from the sounds of war. Before he could continue this unsoldier-like attitude, he broke the thought off. Heero clutched his gun and turned. 

"Omae o korosu."

The girl blinked at him in surprise.

"I will not repeat myself."

'He honestly does not remember,' the girl thought sadly. 

"Shin…Heero-san, please don't treat me that way. I'm Makoto…I know you don't remember me, but I will still always be there for you," she said gently. The boy looked into her pure emerald eyes and the perplexed look on his face vanished. His gun disappeared from his hands, it was a dream after all and he was the dreamer, the master.

He sat back down on the rock. The girl's presence didn't bother him, so long as she didn't turn into a monster or even Zechs. Heero still couldn't escape reality, even in the dream.

Hesitantly, the angel sat on the stone next to him. The silence was thick in the air. Surprisingly, he was the one to break it.

"Dr. J erased my memories twice in my lifetime. Once when I was about 8, and the other was when I was 13. Did I know you before that?" he asked. It was difficult for him to break his normal fast of seriousness and almost Trowa-like silence.

Makoto looked at the moon and did her best to ignore the sounds of fighting in the distance. "Yes, we were close friends. I considered myself as your protector, since you… acted younger. You used to tell me everything. I would always listen to you and comfort to the best of my abilities. Now that I look at you, I don't see the same little Shino-kun. You're much more serious now. You were the little terror, always getting into trouble. I had a hard time keeping track of you, since I was supposed to watch over you. But then you vanished. I wasn't allowed to look for you until recently."

"Will you still do it?" he asked after a long pause of silence.

"Do what, Heero-san."

"Listen."

The archangel looked at him once more. 'Talking about Shinosaki feels like I'm talking about another person altogether. This Heero is older…He sure did grow into his looks. He's quite handsome,' Makoto blushed as she thought this. Those were not angelic thoughts; then again, Serenity raised her to be her own person and encouraged freedom of thought. Still, Shinosaki was her only real friend. 'Hanging around Minako is starting to affect me. Heero deserves the same treatment as I gave Chibi Shinosaki. In time we can become close friends.'

"I will listen as always, Heero-san."

"I don't deserve that honorific," he said as he clenched his fists. If he listened closely, he knew he would hear the sounds of a battle being replayed, one of the many that stained his soul red. He knew he didn't deserve this angelic girl who was so eager to please him without even knowing the real him.

Heero looked up, startled. She had just taken his hand in hers, an act that was meant to console but instead stirred his inner struggles. 

"Don't do that," he said self-deprecatingly as he snatched his hand back. He missed the hurt expression on the angel's face.

"I am ashamed, Heero, that the friend I had long ago grew up thinking he's worthless. You're not worthless Heero. You devalue yourself and do a disservice to us both. I was raised to think that life is valuable, the most precious thing. If anything, you are worth more then I am," she said bitterly.

"Why?" he asked simply. It was a monosyllable question but carried the full force of his feelings of sadness and a bit of tenderness that he had acquired recently.

"You are alive."

Now he really was confused. What was she talking about? She was just as solid as he was, and clearly could communicate with him. Was she a ghost of a family member that he had killed in battle who was out to haunt him? If so, he knew he deserved it. But how could a ghost be that beautiful and caring? Why would a ghost give a damn about his problems?

"I'm an angel, Heero."

Now things were beginning to fit together in Heero's mind. Still, why was an angelic being attempting to comfort him? Wasn't his soul damned already? 'Why?' Heero thought to himself.

Makoto studied Heero's face while he was lost in his thoughts about the recent revelation. His jaw was set stubbornly on his face, as if he still refused to believe it. He even ran his fingers through his unruly brown hair, a nervous habit. And those Prussian blue eyes of his…she could see the confusion and denial in them. 

"You are taking this relatively well, Heero," Makoto said seriously.

He gave her a half-smile, a bit of the old Heero peeking through. "You don't look human," he said simply.

"What?" Makoto was outraged. Was she that ugly? She was an archangel, one created by the Creator Serenity, the fourth in fact. The other beings created before her were not the most beautiful creatures in heaven since they were first tries, though they were angels in their own right. Makoto was one of the first and she had no cause or desire to look at her reflection before this…

Heero saw expressions of anger and sadness flicker across her face. 'Unlike Relena, she probably thinks she's not beautiful, enchanting even…the opposite is true. Did I just think that? Being with her has already changed me. I feel free and strangely comforted. She's an angel, on top of all that.'

"Now who's doing themselves a disservice," he said with a smirk. She looked away, embarrassed, to hide the redness spreading across her cheeks.

This time, he was the one to examine her closely. 

Her emerald eyes were the first to attract his attention…so deep that he felt himself being drowned in the comfort she radiated. Makoto's hair tied in a ponytail with flowers around the base. Some curls managed to escape when she tied it up and framed her face. She was a tall girl, as tall as he, and wore a billowing mint green dress with a tight bodice. It wasn't what an angel would normally wear. What he didn't know was that the Love Goddess designed and made it just for her. The only thing that was missing was a set of wings. Heero suspected that they were retractable.

The girl who was being studied turned back to face Heero and had a big grin on her face. 

"Thanks for keeping me in line there. A few seconds later and I would have had my mid-unlife crisis."

Heero's lips twitched in a pseudo-smile. Apparently Makoto had a sense of humor. At least she wasn't another Duo.

"You know what Heero…You and I have much in common, from our self-depreciating behavior, to following orders from higher up to the letter. Maybe that's not a lot to you but you're the only human friend I have…one of my only friends period."

"Hn," Heero answered, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Makoto's statement. They both looked at the picturesque scene the moonlit lake presented. 

"Two halves of the same coin," he whispered. 

_"__Heero, wake up!__"_ a familiar voice said, most likely Relena. _"__Don__'__t die on me, Heero!__"_Duo's voice said. _"__Baka, he__'__s just unconscious!__"_ Wufei said.

Heero and Makoto looked for the source in vain. "Those voices are coming from the mortal realms, Heero. You're waking up. What ever happened to knock you unconscious?" Makoto asked.

"Relena."

"Oh…"

Makoto gasped as she looked back at her friend. The perfect soldier looked down at himself only to find that he was slowly disappearing. He looked up at her with his Prussian blue eyes as he was disappearing. No goodbyes were necessary; they knew they would meet again.

He closed his eyes and vanished altogether. "Two sides of the same coin…" she said to herself as she too left the dreamscape, which vanished soon after.

.=.=.=.=.=.=.(Heero).=.=.=.=.=.=.

The perfect soldier clutched his head. 'The baka must have given me a concussion,' he thought while struggling to keep the pain he was feeling from his face.

"Hee-chan! You're awake!" Relena cried. 

Heero realized two things at that point. #1 was that he had been moved to his room at some point and Relena was there. #2, it was nighttime. He had passed out some point in the afternoon. "Hn," Heero replied, his usual monosyllable answer.

His eyes narrowed as he scanned the room. Quatra wasn't there. It didn't seem that significant, but Quatra was the kind of person that would stay by your bed until you got better. If he wasn't here then that meant…

"Damnit," he cursed silently. There must have been a mission. 

He ignored Relena's protests as well as the dizziness and pain from his possible concussion and rushed out of the room. Of course he didn't tell her where, and made sure to loose her in Quatra's large mansion. That woman would be the death of him, and almost was.

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Once inside of Wing Zero, the boy breathed in a sigh of relief. 'No rest for the wicked,' he reminded himself, quoting from a scene of a movie that Duo made him watch. He flipped on the video split screen.

None of the other pilots could divert their attention to the screen since they were deep in battle with scores of mobile suits. "Heero, this is really not the time. You shouldn't even be out of bed," Duo began, "besides, don't you miss your nurse?" Heero's answer to this was to launch his Gundam from the pad. From there he put the vid-screen on mute and made record speed to the battle at the other side of the country. It was fairly obvious that he was not taking the mission just for pride's sake, but to escape the tender attentions of a certain persistent blonde who didn't know what the word "no" meant.

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Heero got there just as Quatra was finishing off his 12th mobile suit. Sure it sounded impressive, but there were at least two hundred left and five on two hundred didn't look so good. The perfect soldier turned off the mute button. A familiar voice broke through the intercom.

"Heero, we need your help!" Duo said. 'So now they want my help,' Heero thought darkly. 

"Hn."

"Our mission wasn't just to attack this base. Underground is a titanium bunker, state of the art. It was supposed to be an easy mission. Blow up the whole base and the top-secret files with it-" Duo stopped as he shifted his attention on the mobile suit that was attempting to skew him. 

"What the baka meant to say was that we don't have enough fire power to blow up the base…we hadn't counted all these mobile suits and now we're wasting our ammo on them…." Wufei finished. Heero had an idea of what they wanted of him.

"The office of the Commander is in the bunker. There is a small emergency exit…we will cover you. The disk is in the office somewhere. Destroy it," Trowa said. That was a lot of speech coming from him. 

It was then that the full implications of his mission dawned upon him. He would have to leave his Gundam behind and face the possibility of getting shot by an enemy mobile suit. 'I've been getting weak, relying upon the Wing Zero instead of my own two hands,' he chided himself.

"I've got your back, Heero," Duo said. 

"Hn."

"Just don't get killed until after you bring the disk," Duo joked.

"Hn."

"Come on Heero, don't take things so seriously….ahh, forget it. You're hopeless."

Heero resisted the urge to answer in his usual response. He knew this was a kamikaze mission, but whatever was on that disk must have been the life and death of more then one colony if the doctors wanted them destroyed…

"Mission accepted."

"The trap door is located 5N by 15E."

Heero processed this information as he followed the braided pilots to the said coordinates (AN: …I know nothing about geography). Duo, acting as escort, took care of the surrounding mobile suits while Heero put his Gundam on autopilot. The grim efficiency that the braided pilot took care of the mobile suits seemed out of place with the joking demeanor that Heero associated Death scythe's pilot with. It was sort of unnerving seeing Duo acting…well, serious.

They waded through the crowd of metal warriors, leaving behind useless heaps of metal and human flesh. 

"Ready?" Duo asked, his voice carefully repressing his worry for his friend. 

Heero had half-expected some wisecrack, yet none came. Apparently, Maxwell understood the risk Heero would be taking and the likelihood of fatality.

"Hn," he answered as he finished adjusting his parachute. They both blasted off the barren ground.

'1,000ft. …3,000ft. …' 

They dodged a rain of laser beams and bullets as they continued on. When they reached an altitude of 25,00 feet, he opened the hatch to the Wing Zero and jumped out. Their mission complete, the Wing Zero on autopilot and the Death scythe began their decent into the maelstrom of fighting mobile suits below. Their help would do much to turn the tides of battle or at least prevent any dying on their side until Heero returned.

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He put on an air mask. It would have been a shame and an embarrassment, coming all that way only to pass out before the mission was even started. To his outrage, he discovered that the mask had a built in communications link. 'Damn that Quatra.'

It was very typical of Quatra, always caring for the well being of others. Quatra had been the only one down in the storage area in the last week and claimed he was repairing Sandrock. It was an invasion of his privacy! Surely there must have been laws against behavior like that. The Wing Zero was off limits to everybody, especially after Duo's parts stealing phase.

Sighing in defeat, he dived out gracefully. He looked like a fallen angel. The boy was plunging into the hell below so that comparison wasn't that far off the mark.

No other m. suits detected him. There was no metal on his body at all so the chances of him being spotted were slim. Trowa had provided a screen of smoke. It was all the protection that could be provided. He was on his own from this point on.

"Heero…" Quatra began, making full use of the com. link.

"I know," Heero responded. 

"Good luck," The blond soldier said, the sounds of a battle making it hard to communicate. With that Heero shut off the com. link. He didn't want to be reminded of how much he needed that luck.

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.(Makoto).=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.

"Mako-chan!" An exasperated voice called out.

The girl in question turned her attention to the fire sprite, which had obviously been trying to catch the angel's attention for the last five minutes. 

"Huh?" Makoto answered dumbly.

"You're thinking about that _boy _again. Honestly Mako-chan, you need to get those mortal concepts of love out of your head. Men are no good."

"What about that air sprite you've been checking out, Yuuchiro something or other," Mina said. Rei looked shocked but then remembered that Mina was omniscient when it came to matters of the heart. That was beginning to look like a curse rather then a gift.

"Never! That annoying man…" Rei's face was red while she stuttered incoherently.

"Told ya so," The blond answered.

Rei glared and vanished in a blaze of fire, rather then continue to hear more "lies."

Mina turned her full attention onto Makoto. Her eyes were filled with mischief. 

"Oh Ma-ko-chan…"

"Oh no, no, no! Don't start on me," the angel pleaded. Minako smiled evilly and said something along the lines of "come with me." They both disappeared with in a shower of hearts. 

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As soon as the archangel's vision cleared, she verbally reprimanded her friend.

"Don't you ever look do that again Mina-san! I don't care if you gods' can teleport and angels can't, it's very disconcerting you know." 

Makoto realized that Mina wasn't listening. Instead, the love goddess was looking up in the sky. The angel took this time to look around. 

They both were floating, roughly 20,000 feet above the ground. The skies were dark and ominous, matching the somber atmosphere. Sounds of a battle roared below them. Makoto shivered. 'This is like the war from the dream.'

She followed Mina's gaze upwards. A dark object was falling from the sky. Soon it was only a large blur falling beside the two beings, onto the battle below. 'Was that a…person?' Makoto thought incredulously. She looked towards her blue-eyed friend for help but all that was left of her was the shower of bubble like hearts that faded away before her eyes. _"__Heero,__"_the name wafted through her mind. Something of Mina's doing no doubt. 

"Wait…Heero!"

Her wings folded behind her as she dived down, helping her to propel herself further. This was one of those times that she wished to be able to teleport like the gods. 

A parachute unfurled below, startling her. She feared for the man's life and the fact that there was a smokescreen reassured her little. Seeing Heero's face as she caught up with him brought an unexpected smile to her face; a smile that disappeared after remembering that people were dying around her. 

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As soon as the perfect soldier's feet touched the floor, he started running. The blood stained ground crunched under his feet as he dodged the colossal robots. Nobody noticed the Prussian eyed boy, rushing towards the large rock that marked the entrance to the small bunker. With the fighting being waged, nobody even noticed the metal hatch exploding with the makeshift dynamite.

Heero blinked once more as his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit hall. He expected to be confronted by at least one guard soldier, but when none came, he relaxed. 'The enemy is getting too confident,' thought Heero, reminiscing about the days when things weren't as simple. Stifling a sigh that could still reveal his presence, Heero ambled on. 

"This battle should be over soon," a man called out from around the bend. Heero hid in the shadows. 

"Yeah, and I wager it'll be at least ten minutes," a second voice offered. Heero pulled a short wooden saber from its bindings around his leg. Any metal during his glorious decent would have alerted his presence. 

"You want to put your money where your big mouth is?" asked the first one. Heero crouched into a fighting position. 

"You know us lowly soldiers aren't allowed to gamble." There was a pause after the soldier's comment. Seconds later, laughter erupted from the two. 

"Yeah…right…" said the second between gasps of laughter.

The seventeen year old wasted no time as the soldiers rounded the end. The first man went down with a series of hits to three of his nine vital points. Before the second man could call out intruder, he was cut off with well-aimed blows to the windpipe and stomach. They were both still breathing. Heero knew because he checked. After his dream contact with the angel, he felt that it was wrong to kill unless it couldn't be avoided. 'Perfect time to develop a conscience,' he thought sourly.

Trying his best to push such sentimental thoughts from his mind, the boy continued his stealthy walk. His vision was beginning to blur. 'Damn Relena. It wouldn't surprise me if she knocked me out on purpose so she could "nurse me"'.

There were only two doors in the short hall. He didn't know why he chose the right door. An unexplainable feeling of danger radiated from the one on the left. 'Maybe my Guardian angel hasn't left me after all.'

Heero discovered the dark room to be the office of the Commander and the Commander being present, smoking on a cig and watching the battle outside through a small television. The boy didn't miss the look of defeat in his eyes since, unlike the cocky soldiers from before; this man had experience in fighting the Gundams.

"You're late," the commander said. Heero's eyes widened slightly, betraying the bewilderment he felt. 'He knows who I am?' 

"Go on and kill me boy, you know I have the disk. I know all about you…things maybe even you don't know. Which doctor sent you out on this mission? Was it the infamous Dr. J?" It was the voice of one defeated and Heero felt respect for the man at once. But he couldn't let that sentiment get in the way of completing his mission. The man obviously knew too much.

The boy tightened his grip on the saber. He knew the vital points of man and being equipped with only a wooden sword wasn't going to stop him.

"Tell Dr. J that his former pupil Daisetsu says hello and that I'll meet him in hell."

The throbbing in his head slowed Heero Yuy's reaction time. Daisetsu had pulled out a gun and aimed at the perfect soldier, laughing the laugh of an insane man. Heero threw himself to the side and the bullet intended for him hit the door. Before he could retaliate, he stopped. Daisetsu's next action froze him in his tracks. The commander had pointed the gun to his own temple. 

Daisetsu's hatred filled eyes and laughter haunted Heero, minutes after the shot was fired, and the blood painted the walls red. 'What could have happened that drove the soldier to do this?' he wondered as he gathered his witts. The corpse in the room didn't bother him half as much as the pounding of footsteps in the hall did.

The metal door burst open and five soldiers, all the remaining ones in the bunker Heero reckoned, ran in. Their saddened guesses added to Heero's original belief that the commander had been respected. 

Heero used this time to knock out one of the guards with a blow to the temple and another wrenched in pain at a twisted kneecap. With the intensity of their fighting, they must have believed that Heero was the killer. In normal cases, that would be the truth, but after he met the angel, his life was anything but normal.

One of the remaining three soldiers, only two of them saw the perfect soldier coming. Their guns were knocked from their hands, leaving them blinking in surprise. Heero turned to one of them and hit one of their vital points, rendering him unconscious. This move was a mistake he found, as he felt an arc of hot fire across his right arm. Apparently the soldiers were also issued knives. Fortunately for him, the knife was of poor quality, and not sharp enough to cause much damage. Still, it hurt like hell.

The boy let none of this get to him as he turned to face the soldier, his face calm. Underneath that façade he contemplated killing the man. His orders, after all, had been to kill and retrieve or burn the disk. He dodged another feint with the knife and kicked the soldier in the wrist. A sickening crack filled the air as the knife skidded across the metal floors. Heero followed that action by lunging with his wooden saber, knocking the air from the man, then sweeping his legs from under him. 

Satisfied that the only blood on the floor wasn't spilled by his hands, he turned his Prussian blue eyes to the remaining man. This man was terrified for his life. "I'm sorry for your loss," Heero said in his usual monotone voice, now standing beside the solider. Before the man could voice his confusion, he felt a sharp pain on the side of his neck…then everything went black for him.

'Damn me and my conscience,' thought Heero while tearing a piece of one of the soldier's shirts to stem the flow of his blood, which now soaked most of his clothing. The boy moved towards the fallen body of Daisetsu. In the hands of the Commander rested a plain disk, which had gone unnoticed in the chaos before.

'He knew too much.' Heero attempted to reason with his conscience. With hands stained with his blood, he gingerly picked up the disk…and threw it on the floor, proceeding to smash it with his own hard-heeled boots. Heero left the room, satisfied that all evidence was destroyed.

"Mission…completed."

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=(Makoto).=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.

A smile grew on Makoto's face as she watched Heero smash the disk. It wasn't a smile of pleasure but of relief. 'My charge…no friend,' she corrected herself, 'accomplished this without wasting a single life. These men will heal and will return to their family, thankful for their lives.' Her lips moved into a bitter line. 

'No, they will most likely return to the life of a soldier, killing to make money. I'm not naive anymore. The gods talk about all life being precious, but they've never witnessed the killing of innocents on earth. They will never see the error of their ways but I still can't help but admire them…surviving against all odds. I've never felt these emotions before being sent to this colony. Why has Serenity-sama kept this way of life hidden from me for all these centuries? I feel so alive!'

Makoto kneeled next to the fallen commander, Daisetsu. Heero had exited the room a scant minute ago but the archangel still had business to do. 

"Daisetsu-san…I hope you lived your life as fully as you have wanted. If not, may you find peace in the afterlife and get rid of your resentment." Makoto placed a ginger kiss on the grizzled commander's forehead. A bright light promptly filled the room. 

"I don't regret any of it, tenshi." The gentle presence in the room vanished as soon as the light faded. Daisetsu was truly gone now.

The archangel stood when she felt the familiar peaceful aura of the 'grim reaper.' 

"You must be very busy with your work here, Hotaru-chan. I don't wish I was in your place. Every death I see would slowly kill me," Makoto said softly, while looking at her friend.

Hotaru didn't reply. The eternal loneliness in her eyes spoke volumes. The angel immediately regretted her words. 

"I'm sorry Hotaru-chan, that was unfair of me."

"Go Mako-chan, and see your human. Treasure your last moments together," her voice said coldly. 

The ominous feeling in the air sent shivers through the angel. Her eyes widened seconds later as she realized the double meaning in the grim reaper's words.

"Heero!" 

Makoto was out the door a nanosecond after the words left her mouth.

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=(Heero).=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

Heero staggered after pushing the door of the bunker open. That movement, which would have normally been effortless for the perfect soldier, left him panting hard. Blood had already seeped through his rag. It left a trail as Heero walked to the spot where he was to be 'picked up.'

He heard a set of footsteps following him and knew immediately that it was no mobile suit pilot. The battle had moved to a spot, a mile away. 

"You killed Daisetsu-san!" screamed a voice. Apparently, there had been one soldier left in the bunker. 

He never heard the gunfire; never realized that this was one of the men he talked himself out of killing before; never noticed the man run back into the bunker as the Gundams appeared...never noticed the battle was over. All that he felt was the incredible pain of the bullet tearing though his chest, only inches away from his heart. His knees buckled and he collapsed into a heap on the floor, his life's blood pooled around him.

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.(Makoto).=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

The archangel knew it was too late as she heard the gunshot. 'He's not dead!' Makoto tried to convince herself. She walked through the bunker door, feeling a shiver run though her as the same human, who shot Heero, ran through her. This was a time when she wished that she were human. 'I've gotta save him!' she thought, pushing tired wings forward.

Un-angel like thoughts flowed through her head as she saw Heero collapse. How she wished to punish that soldier. But there was no more time for thoughts like that. She ignored the sound of landing Gundams and kneeled next to Heero.

Her slim hands passed through his chest. Emerald colored tears flowed freely as she cursed her own uselessness. 

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Heero turned his glazed eyes at the figure towering over him. They refocused and he saw her…saw his guardian angel. She was dressed as simply as before, but just looking at her seemed to calm him. He wished he knew what distressed her, so he could kill it. 

'Nothing should make her cry like that.'

The seventeen-year old boy stopped feeling pain. He was at that point in dying that nothing hurt anymore.

"Don't…cry," Heero choked out, between bouts of coughing up blood. "Not…your…fault." These few words hid his true feelings for the woman who, in the short time they were together, who he trusted more then life itself. 

Unfortunately this made her cry even more.

"Beautiful…Makoto…"

"Heero! Don't go! Don't die on me! I've just found you again!"

"So…peaceful…"

Heero looked into her emerald eyes and smiled slightly, before closing his own.

"Heeeeerrrooooo!"

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=(Serenity).=.=.=.=.=.=

The 4th creator, Serenity looked on from her mirror in the heavens. Her crystal blue eyes were filled with sadness for Makoto, the angel that was created by her hands…that she had come to love as a daughter.

"I've lost Makoto…she's not the same girl I knew. The Makoto I knew would shriek at the sight of blood and was naive about the ways of men. I guess this is my fault since I knew this would happen and didn't stop it."

A hand came to rest on her shoulder. It belonged to her consort, the god of Hero's, Mamoru. 

"She's what you wanted her to be, koishii. Makoto has a strong fighting spirit, is stubborn, and isn't meek like the others. These new emotions she is feeling have helped her."

"I know but still…I feel guilty. The last emotion that she learned, even if she didn't realize it, was love. She loved that human. Now he's about ready to move on into the afterlife, where she can't travel."

"Then set her free, koishii."

"Nani?"

"You know very well what I mean, Serenity."

The creator in question sighed in defeat.

"I never wanted to lose her this way, Mamoru."

"I know koishii…I know."

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.(Makoto)..=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

Makoto looked down at Heero, whose life she couldn't stop from slipping away. Her voice was hoarse from screaming. 

"Serenity-sama…why did you do this to me…allowing him into my life only to lose him," the angel whispered. 

A familiar aura filled the air. Makoto turned her angry emerald eyes and found herself staring into a pair of floating crystal blue eyes. All anger she felt, drained away. How could she hate the woman who created her?

"I never knew that he would evoke such feelings into you."

"Is that supposed to make this any better?" Makoto snapped.

The pair of crystal blue eyes appeared to wince at the intensity of the feelings directed at it. Makoto looked away, unable to meet the eyes.

"No, but do you love the human?" Serenity asked.

"Yes," Makoto said simply. It was true. The bond they shared went beyond friendship.

"Would you give your unlife to save him?"

"…Yes…anything. I didn't watch over him to see him die if I could help it. He means the world to me, Serenity-sama."

"There is a way to save him…but it means giving him your unlife. Do you really want to give that up?" Serenity added hesitantly. She didn't want to lose Makoto, but the angel had her own will. "If it would save him…but I will miss you."

"Then here's what you do…"

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.(Gundam Pilots).=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

"Heero! He's can't…he's not dead," Quatra cried out. He quickly climbed out from the seat of his Sandrock and ran towards the fallen solider. It didn't matter that he was already tired as hell and looked like it too. Heero was his comrade.

"I never should have let him take this mission," Duo said as Quatra reached him, where he kneeled next to the boy.

"We need a doctor!" Quatra yelled in anguish. Wufei checked the boy's pulse. "No…his pulse is too weak…he would die honorably."

"Stop talking like he's dead!" Duo yelled. "We need a miracle," whispered Trowa.

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.(Makoto)=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.

Makoto was vaguely aware of the presence of the other Gundam pilots, who were spread in a semi-circle around the body. Serenity was gone already having gave the archangel her instructions.

She leaned down next to Heero and whispered in his ear, "I did this for you. Remember me and this foolish angel's forbidden love for you." The angel brushed a tendril of brown hair from the head of the soldier. It moved…not a good sign. She was running out of time. 

The girl closed her eyes after accepting her fate and pressed her lips against Heero's. It felt good strangely, but she didn't have time to meditate on her feelings. She used her hands to gently press down Heero's jaw. His mouth opened and she kissed him on the lips again, this time fully.

It to her as if something was sucking the soul from her, into his body. Slowly, her unlife was being poured into Heero's body, making him whole. 

.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.(Gundam Pilots).=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.

Wufei glared at the medical kit that would do no good. Something at the corner of his eyes caught his attention. He turned, hoping to catch Duo, whom usually was the source of his frustration. But there was nothing, only a dying boy. Wufei turned back to the kit, struggling to keep the sadness he felt from showing. Duo would rub the fact that the Chinese man was crying later…that is if a certain braided boy wasn't crying himself.

"What the…" The katana wielding boy turned again. "Holy shit!" he heard Duo say. Wufei felt relieved, he wasn't the only one seeing things. The other three pilots were staring at the same spot, mouths open.

There, kneeling over Heero, was a spirit or a ghost. If he squinted, Wufei could make out a female. It was slowly solidifying with each passing second. 

"An angel?" Duo whispered reverently. Her beauty was ethereal with dark brown hair, emerald eyes, a green dress that moved with its own wind and a pair of magnificent white wings. And, most importantly, she was leaning over _their_ Heero, kissing him tenderly. He was dumbfounded for the first time in his life. 

Heero appeared to be healing. No more blood flowed from his wounds and the blood that had been spilled appeared to be soaking back into the soldier. His deathly pallor was once again healthy. 

'A miracle?' Trowa thought? He had gotten what he wanted.

=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.(Heero)=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.

Heero blinked as his vision slowly cleared. He felt the warmth seeping through his mouth, the soft feel of lips on his. 

'Makoto?'

The angel gazed into his Prussian blue eyes and he could feel a smile growing on her lips. She collapsed onto his chest, breaking the kiss.

"Makoto!" he yelled. She looked so…pale, completely unlike the vibrant Makoto he had known. 'Why am I alive? Did she…' Heero didn't even have to complete that thought. The feel of Makoto's cold hands on his confirmed his thoughts. She had given her life for his.

He sat up and cradled Makoto's winged body to his.

"My life wasn't worth it, Makoto," he sobbed into her hair. It was the first time the other pilots had seen him cry, the first time they had seen him show any emotion outside of determination in fact. Heck, it was the first time they had seen angels.

Heero appeared to have known the angel. 'How' was the question that nagged at the pilots.

He felt Makoto's pulse. For a second he thought her dead; that was how weak it was. He felt her touch on his cheek. "Makoto?" he whispered hesitantly.

"All...for…you…koishii," she said so faintly that he barely heard it. 

Makoto inhaled a breath of some of her first air as a human…and exhaled her last breath of air as a human. A smile of tranquility filled her features.

Heero looked up at the pilots, seeming to just have noticed their presence. The look on his face was that of a drowning man. He looked like he had just lost his world and in a sense he did. 

=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

The perfect soldier stood with the body of Makoto in his arms and walked slowly to his Gundam, as if nothing had happened.

The remaining Gundam pilots exchanged looks. It was likely that they would never hear the story of how Heero met the archangel Makoto. There was very little comfort they could provide from the pilot drowning in his own sadness…

--------------------------------------(FIN)-----------------------------------------

I hope you guys liked this story. It was actually fun writing it since it was completely different then the stories I usually write. That was the ending, believe it or not. I left a few unanswered questions (like how Daisetsu knew Dr. J) but I'd rather not answer them seeing as I don't know them. An epilogue (to answer questions) might be added if I'm so inclined (which I'm not). If I get a sufficient amount of reviews on adding a happy alternate ending, I will. 

Please review. It wasn't necessary before but I really would like to know how well this story was received, seeing as it's one of the few stories I have actually finished (an longest chapter I believe). Ciao! See you all in "Fly Me to the Moon." Yes, Sarien-chan says 'screw that damn schedule.'


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